If you love Mexican food like I do, then you will love these green chili chicken enchiladas. This full-flavored enchilada dish captures the spirit of Mexican cuisine with its roasted green tomatillo salsa, green chiles, onions, and cilantro. This harmony of flavors is combined with shredded chicken, melty cheese that is then wrapped in steamy corn tortillas ready to erupt in your mouth with deliciousness.
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Each bite is loaded with texture and an intriguing balance of flavors. From the corn tortilla blanketing the filling to the spicy chiles, tangy and creamy cheese filling, The filling incorporates chicken, chilies, and cream cheese which add just enough tanginess and creaminess to balance the spiciness of the chiles.
As the name implies, this enchilada recipe with green sauce is easy to make and it tastes amazing. Leftover shredded chicken is the key to its simplicity along with the ready-made salsa verde.
These green chili enchiladas are quick and easy, with rich, flavorful results you'll love. If you have made my Cheesy Enchiladas With Bacon which has a red sauce or these Easy Enchiladas Verdes you will definitely want to make my green chili chicken enchiladas which is another easy chicken enchilada recipe. If you haven't, next time try more of these tasty traditional enchiladas.
What You’ll Love These Enchiladas
- Quick and Easy. The green chili chicken enchiladas can be on the table easily in less than an hour. And that's assuming you started a margarita while prepping it. 🙂
- Can Make Ahead. You can assemble these creamy enchiladas up to 3 days ahead of time. Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to pop in the oven. They can also be fully cooked and frozen for 3 to 6 months.
- Convenience. All of the ingredients are items you probably already have on hand. They are a great way to use up leftover chicken.
- Versatile. You can swap out the ingredients, adjust the spiciness and make them vegetarian.
Ingredients
- Green enchilada sauce made from mild or medium salsa verde and fresh cilantro leaves. You can choose the spice level of your dish by the type of salsa verde you choose.
- Shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken breast because that is what makes this dish so easy.
- Cream cheese for it's smooth, creamy texture and slightly tangy taste.
- Chopped green chiles from a can add extra heat and tanginess.
- Shredded Colby Jack cheese is a wonderful combination of Colby cheese, which is similar to cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheese for cheesiness that is not overpowering.
- Corn tortillas add texture and sturdiness to the green enchiladas. They are also gluten free.
- Favorite toppings such as sour cream, Greek yogurt, crumbled queso fresco, sliced green onions, black olives and cilantro. You may want to make a sour cream sauce by adding water to the sour cream and drizzling the mixture over the top of your creamy green chili chicken enchiladas.
How To Make Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas
The recipe steps below show the green chicken enchiladas in the air fryer basket with an image at the end showing the enchiladas in a dish ready for the oven. The method is the for both the oven and air fryer, unless specifically noted.
#1 For the Oven you will need a preheated 375°F oven and a 9-by 9-inch baking dish. For the Air Fryer, preheat the fryer to 350°F and use a baking dish that fits into your air fryer. For most air fryers, the same or similar size baking pan will work. If you want to double the recipe, use a 9-by 13-inch casserole dish.
#2 For the Green Chile Enchilada Sauce, blend the salsa verde and the cilantro leaves until smooth.
#3 Make the filling, combine the enchilada sauce, chicken, softened cream cheese, chopped green chilis and salt.
#4 Heat the tortillas in a large skillet over medium heat. Once they are warm, cover the tortillas with a clean dish towel or paper towel to keep them moist and warm. You can read more ways to reheat tortillas in my step-by-step guide on how to warm tortillas.
#5 Fill and roll. Place a tortilla to a plate and spoon about ⅓ cup of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese. Then, roll up the tortilla and place it seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Do this for all of the tortillas and chicken filling.
#6 Arrange the filled tortillas in the baking pan and place inside the air fryer.
#7 Pour enchilada sauce over the top, bake, sprinkle with cheese and bake until melted.
#8 Finish the green chicken enchiladas by pouring the remaining enchilada sauce over top and bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the enchiladas and return them to the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
#9 Serve topped with any of your favorite enchilada toppings.
Cooks Tip
Always warm tortillas before filling them with the enchilada mixture and rolling them up. For corn tortillas this is especially important. Warming the tortillas prevents them from cracking or tearing while you are working with them and enhances their flavor. If you are heating them on the stove, you also benefit from a nice, slightly charred surface.
Variations
- Flour tortillas can be used in place of the corn tortillas.
- Ready-made canned green enchilada sauce can be used instead of blending the salsa verdes with the cilantro. You will need 20 ounces of the sauce, or two 10 ounce cans.
- A Mexican cheese blend such as shredded asadero, queso quesadilla, and cheddar can be used in place of the Colby Jack.
- A combination of shredded Monterey Jack cheese and Cheddar cheese is very similar to Colby Jack and can be used. Or add more spiciness with a pepper jack cheese.
- Add black beans or roasted corn to the filling, or a some of each. For every cup of added ingredients, omit one cup of the shredded chicken.
- Vegetarian. Replace the chicken with an equal amount of black beans and roasted corn.
- Hatch chiles can replace the regular chopped green chilies. Hatch chiles are from a specific region in New Mexico. Many people love them for their slightly sweet and tangy notes. You can find these in the Mexican area of a grocery store or online.
What To Serve With Green Chicken Enchiladas
Put this recipe together for an easy weeknight meal or a casual gathering of friends and family. Spanish beans and rice and refried beans are a great option to serve with your green chili chicken enchiladas. You could even jazz it up with Mexican corn in a cup or Elote, a type of Mexican street corn. Either one of these dishes is especially amazing if corn in late summer when corn is in season.
Storage
Cooked green chicken enchiladas can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days or frozen for up to 4 months.
Uncooked green chili chicken enchiladas, can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 1 to 2 days. Let the enchiladas stand at room temperature for up to 30 minutes before cooking. You may also need to add 5 extra minutes or so cooking time in the oven or 1 to 2 minutes in the air fryer.
One of my favorite methods is to freeze 1 or 2 cooked and cooled enchiladas in individual freezer wraps. This works especially well when I just want to have an easy dinner for one. I often make a batch or two of them ahead of time, freeze them, and give them to my daughter so she can have one of her favorite dishes ready to eat in a flash.
Bonus tip: This is a great recipe for group gatherings because you can make enough for a crowd ahead of time and simply reheat when you are ready. The recipe is super easy to double and triple. My tips for how to soften tortillas for enchiladas also includes instructions for large batches of tortillas.
This delicious green chili chicken enchilada dish is one of my favorite easy dinners to make and eat. It is quick, easy and always gets rave reviews. See for yourself how quick, easy and truly delicious they are.
📋 Recipe
Easy Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
Green Enchilada Sauce
- 2-½ cups salsa verde (20 ounces) mild or medium
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro leaves about ⅓ of a bunch
Filling
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken rotisserie or leftover chicken
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 can (4.5 ounce) chopped green chiles
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 corn tortillas
- 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
- Sour cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. See notes for Air Fryer instructions.
Green Enchilada Sauce
- In a blender, add the salsa verde and the cilantro leaves and blend until smooth.
- Spread ⅓ cup of the blended sauce on the bottom of a 9-by 9-inch baking dish.
Filling
- In a medium bowl, add ¾ cup of the enchilada sauce, the chicken, cream cheese, chopped green chiles and salt. Stir until well combined.
- In a small skillet over medium heat, add a tortilla and heat, turning once, 2 minutes or until the tortilla is warm and slightly browned in spots. Transfer the tortilla to a plate.
- Spoon a rounded ⅓ cup of the chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cheese on top. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over top. Bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Return the enchiladas to the oven and bake 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve topped with sour cream.
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